Electoral district of Balcatta
Encyclopedia
The Electoral district of Balcatta is an electoral district
of the Legislative Assembly
in the Australia
n state of Western Australia
.
The district is based in Perth's northern suburbs. Politically, it has been considered a safe Labor
seat throughout its history, although is presently marginal following the 2008 election
.
to the west and Wanneroo Road
to the east. The district includes the suburbs of Balcatta
, Stirling
, Tuart Hill
and Joondanna
as well as western and southern portions of Hamersley
and all parts of Osborne Park
east of the Mitchell Freeway.
on every occasion, other than a single term from 1905 to 1908.
The first incarnation of the seat, established by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1904, was spelt "Balkatta" in some sources and "Balcatta" in others. It extended all the way from modern-day Sorrento
to Herdsman Lake
, and was won by Labor
's Frederick Gill at its first election in August 1904. However, the minority government
of which he was part, referred to in the press as a "Mark-Time Ministry", collapsed a year later, and Gill and a number of other Labor members lost their seats in the 1905 election to Ministerial candidates. John Veryard held the seat for a single term, losing it to Gill in 1908. The seat was then abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1911, with most of it going to form the new seat of Leederville
, which Gill subsequently won.
A new district of Balcatta was created ahead of the 1962 state election
, and was won by Labor's Herb Graham
, who for the previous 19 years had been the member for East Perth
, which was abolished at the redistribution. Graham represented the district for over a decade, before retiring from politics on 30 May 1973 to accept a position on the Licensing Court. At the resulting by-election held on 28 July 1973, which was watched by many observers both as an indication of Premier Tonkin
's two-year-old Labor government's fortunes with the electorate as well as the more practical matter of whether it would retain its one-seat majority in parliament, former television news reporter and Labor candidate Brian Burke
won by just 30 votes on preferences, having trailed Liberal candidate Neil Beck on the primary vote. The seat was renamed Balga
effective from the 1974 state election
.
The name Balcatta was revived for the district just one term later at the 1977 state election
, after a redistribution in 1976. Burke once again won the seat, and ultimately became the Labor Party leader and State Opposition Leader
on 28 September 1981.
At the 1982 redistribution, which took effect from the 1983 state election
, Balcatta was significantly altered. Having previously included the suburbs of Balcatta
, Balga
, Girrawheen
, Nollamara
, Westminster
and parts of Osborne Park
, it moved west of Wanneroo Road
and southwards into Tuart Hill
and Joondanna
, while a new district of Balga
was created to take in the other areas. Burke transferred into Balga, while the member for the abolished seat of Mount Hawthorn
, Labor's Ron Bertram, transferred into Balcatta.
The district was again abolished ahead of the 1996 state election
. Incumbent Labor MP Nick Catania
unsuccessfully contested the new seat of Yokine
.
Balcatta returned as an electorate name at the 2005 state election
. The seat was won by Labor MP John Kobelke
, who was previously the member for Nollamara
.
Electoral districts of Western Australia
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly is elected from 59 single-member electoral districts. These districts are often referred to as electorates or seats....
of the Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
The district is based in Perth's northern suburbs. Politically, it has been considered a safe Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
seat throughout its history, although is presently marginal following the 2008 election
Western Australian state election, 2008
A general election was held in the state of Western Australia on Saturday 6 September 2008 to elect 59 members to the Legislative Assembly and 36 members to the Legislative Council...
.
Geography
Balcatta is located in Perth's northern suburbs. It is a north-to-south elongated electorate, squeezed in between the Mitchell FreewayMitchell Freeway
Mitchell Freeway is a long freeway in Perth, Western Australia, linking Perth's central business district with its outer northern suburbs. It is allocated Route 2 for its entire length and is named after former state Premier and Governor Sir James Mitchell....
to the west and Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road is an important arterial road in Perth, Australia. It is about 75 kilometres long. It links Perth with the City of Wanneroo, and the Towns of Yanchep and Lancelin...
to the east. The district includes the suburbs of Balcatta
Balcatta, Western Australia
Balcatta is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling. It is a primarily middle-class suburb made up of mainly Italian Catholic, Greek and Macedonian Orthodox families, as well as many families from other European Orthodox religions. It is also one of...
, Stirling
Stirling, Western Australia
The City of Stirling is a Local Government Area in the northern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about north of Perth's central business district...
, Tuart Hill
Tuart Hill, Western Australia
Tuart Hill is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.Tuart Hill is named after the Tuart tree that once grew extensively throughout the area, especially around Dog Swamp...
and Joondanna
Joondanna, Western Australia
Joondanna is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.There is a Catholic church, St. Denis, in Joondanna, and a small Catholic primary school of the same name....
as well as western and southern portions of Hamersley
Hamersley, Western Australia
Hamersley is a residential suburb 14 kilometres north-northwest of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and six kilometres from the Indian Ocean. The suburb adjoins two major arterial roads—Mitchell Freeway to the west and Reid Highway to the...
and all parts of Osborne Park
Osborne Park, Western Australia
Osborne Park is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.Osborne Park was named after William Osborne, a butcher who owned an abattoir on Wanneroo Road and was elected to the Perth Road Board , in 1875.The suburb was originally full of market gardens,...
east of the Mitchell Freeway.
History
Balcatta has had several incarnations as an electoral district. It has been held by the Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
on every occasion, other than a single term from 1905 to 1908.
The first incarnation of the seat, established by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1904, was spelt "Balkatta" in some sources and "Balcatta" in others. It extended all the way from modern-day Sorrento
Sorrento, Western Australia
Sorrento is a northern coastal suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Joondalup. At its northwestern corner is the Hillarys Boat Harbour, built in the late 1980s.-History:...
to Herdsman Lake
Herdsman Lake
Herdsman Lake is a groundwater lake located 6 km north-west of Perth, Western Australia, in the suburb of Herdsman....
, and was won by Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's Frederick Gill at its first election in August 1904. However, the minority government
Daglish ministry
The Daglish Ministry was the 7th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia and was led by Labor Premier Henry Daglish. It succeeded the James Ministry on 10 August 1904 after the 1904 election boosted Labor's seat count from 8 to 22 in the 50-seat Legislative Assembly...
of which he was part, referred to in the press as a "Mark-Time Ministry", collapsed a year later, and Gill and a number of other Labor members lost their seats in the 1905 election to Ministerial candidates. John Veryard held the seat for a single term, losing it to Gill in 1908. The seat was then abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1911, with most of it going to form the new seat of Leederville
Electoral district of Leederville
The Electoral district of Leederville was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. The district was named for the inner northern Perth suburb of Leederville, which fell within its borders...
, which Gill subsequently won.
A new district of Balcatta was created ahead of the 1962 state election
Western Australian state election, 1962
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 31 March 1962 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The Liberal-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir David Brand, won a second term in office against the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Bert Hawke.The election...
, and was won by Labor's Herb Graham
Herb Graham
-Biography:Graham was born in Narrogin, Western Australia on 6 April 1911 to parents from South Australia. Graham attended school in Narrogin and Northam....
, who for the previous 19 years had been the member for East Perth
Electoral district of East Perth
East Perth was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1962.Based in inner urban Perth, the district was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election. The district's member from 1894 to 1904 was Walter James,...
, which was abolished at the redistribution. Graham represented the district for over a decade, before retiring from politics on 30 May 1973 to accept a position on the Licensing Court. At the resulting by-election held on 28 July 1973, which was watched by many observers both as an indication of Premier Tonkin
John Tonkin
John Trezise Tonkin AC , popularly known as "Honest John", was the 20th Premier of Western Australia , taking power after the almost 12 year term of Liberal Sir David Brand....
's two-year-old Labor government's fortunes with the electorate as well as the more practical matter of whether it would retain its one-seat majority in parliament, former television news reporter and Labor candidate Brian Burke
Brian Burke
Brian Thomas Burke was Labor premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1983 until his resignation on 25 February 1988...
won by just 30 votes on preferences, having trailed Liberal candidate Neil Beck on the primary vote. The seat was renamed Balga
Electoral district of Balga
Balga was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1983 to 1989.The district was based in Perth's northern suburbs and was a safe Labor seat.-History:...
effective from the 1974 state election
Western Australian state election, 1974
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 30 March 1974 to elect all 51 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council...
.
The name Balcatta was revived for the district just one term later at the 1977 state election
Western Australian state election, 1977
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1977 to elect all 55 members to the Legislative Assembly and 17 members to the 32-seat Legislative Council...
, after a redistribution in 1976. Burke once again won the seat, and ultimately became the Labor Party leader and State Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
on 28 September 1981.
At the 1982 redistribution, which took effect from the 1983 state election
Western Australian state election, 1983
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1983 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and 18 members to the 34-seat Legislative Council....
, Balcatta was significantly altered. Having previously included the suburbs of Balcatta
Balcatta, Western Australia
Balcatta is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling. It is a primarily middle-class suburb made up of mainly Italian Catholic, Greek and Macedonian Orthodox families, as well as many families from other European Orthodox religions. It is also one of...
, Balga
Balga, Western Australia
Balga is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is located north of Perth's central business district . Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling....
, Girrawheen
Girrawheen, Western Australia
Girrawheen is a northern suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Wanneroo.-History:...
, Nollamara
Nollamara, Western Australia
Nollamara is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.The name "Nollamara" is the Aboriginal word for the plant known as the Black Kangaroo Paw.-Transport:...
, Westminster
Westminster, Western Australia
Westminster is a northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.Westminster was formerly the southern part of Balga but was renamed in 1994 at the request of residents. This was the name of the original estate that existed before residential subdivision...
and parts of Osborne Park
Osborne Park, Western Australia
Osborne Park is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.Osborne Park was named after William Osborne, a butcher who owned an abattoir on Wanneroo Road and was elected to the Perth Road Board , in 1875.The suburb was originally full of market gardens,...
, it moved west of Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road
Wanneroo Road is an important arterial road in Perth, Australia. It is about 75 kilometres long. It links Perth with the City of Wanneroo, and the Towns of Yanchep and Lancelin...
and southwards into Tuart Hill
Tuart Hill, Western Australia
Tuart Hill is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.Tuart Hill is named after the Tuart tree that once grew extensively throughout the area, especially around Dog Swamp...
and Joondanna
Joondanna, Western Australia
Joondanna is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stirling.There is a Catholic church, St. Denis, in Joondanna, and a small Catholic primary school of the same name....
, while a new district of Balga
Electoral district of Balga
Balga was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1974 to 1977 and again from 1983 to 1989.The district was based in Perth's northern suburbs and was a safe Labor seat.-History:...
was created to take in the other areas. Burke transferred into Balga, while the member for the abolished seat of Mount Hawthorn
Electoral district of Mount Hawthorn
The Electoral district of Mount Hawthorn was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. The district was named for the inner northern Perth suburb of Mount Hawthorn, which fell within its borders....
, Labor's Ron Bertram, transferred into Balcatta.
The district was again abolished ahead of the 1996 state election
Western Australian state election, 1996
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 14 December 1996 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
. Incumbent Labor MP Nick Catania
Nick Catania
Nicholas Mark "Nick" Catania is an Australian politician. Catania served as Mayor of the City of Vincent in inner-city Perth, Western Australia between 2001 and 2011...
unsuccessfully contested the new seat of Yokine
Electoral district of Yokine
Yokine was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia from 1996 to 2008. It was named for the northern Perth suburb of Yokine which fell within its borders...
.
Balcatta returned as an electorate name at the 2005 state election
Western Australian state election, 2005
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 26 February 2005 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
. The seat was won by Labor MP John Kobelke
John Kobelke
John Charles Kobelke in Mount Lawley, Western Australia is an Australian politician. He has been an ALP member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 1989, representing the electorate of Balcatta....
, who was previously the member for Nollamara
Electoral district of Nollamara
Nollamara is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.The district is based in the north-eastern suburbs of Perth. It includes the suburbs of Nollamara, Alexander Heights, Koondoola, Mirrabooka, Westminster and part of the suburb of...
.
Members for Balcatta
| Balcatta (1904–1911) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | Term | |
| Frederick Gill | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1904–1905 | |
| John Veryard | Ministerial | 1905–1908 | |
| Frederick Gill | Labor | 1908–1911 | |
| Balcatta (1962–1974) | |||
| Member | Party | Term | |
| Herb Graham Herb Graham -Biography:Graham was born in Narrogin, Western Australia on 6 April 1911 to parents from South Australia. Graham attended school in Narrogin and Northam.... |
Labor | 1962–1973 | |
| Brian Burke Brian Burke Brian Thomas Burke was Labor premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1983 until his resignation on 25 February 1988... |
Labor | 1973–1974 | |
| Balcatta (1977–1996) | |||
| Member | Party | Term | |
| Brian Burke | Labor | 1977–1983 | |
| Ron Bertram | Labor | 1983–1989 | |
| Nick Catania Nick Catania Nicholas Mark "Nick" Catania is an Australian politician. Catania served as Mayor of the City of Vincent in inner-city Perth, Western Australia between 2001 and 2011... |
Labor | 1989–1996 | |
| Balcatta (2005–present) | |||
| Member | Party | Term | |
| John Kobelke John Kobelke John Charles Kobelke in Mount Lawley, Western Australia is an Australian politician. He has been an ALP member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly since February 1989, representing the electorate of Balcatta.... |
Labor | 2005–present | |